Soulmates
by bionic4ever
Summary: Steve and Jaime visited a psychic on her 18th birthday. Ten years later, the psychic has contacted them, with an urgent message.
1. Chapter 1

**Soulmates**

Chapter One - 6-27-1977

Jaime guessed that the old woman had to be at least 100 years old, but as soon as that thought crossed her mind, Madame Sophia looked directly at her and smiled warmly. "Eighty-one, Sweetie." She placed a cup of tea and a tray of cookies on the coffee table, in front of Jaime.

"Ma'am," Jaime said gently, "you said you had something extremely urgent to talk to me about. Thank you for the hospitality, but tea and cookies aren't exactly urgent. Why am I here?"

"Soon, Sweetie. And please - call me Sophia."

"Sophia, I can't -" Jaime was interrupted by the doorbell.

"Excuse me, Sweetie. I'll be right back."

Jaime couldn't help listening, and although the psychic and the newcomer spoke in muted tones, Jaime knew the male voice was the last person on Earth she wanted to see: Steve. They hadn't spoken in nearly a year, since the ugly blow-up that their co-workers called ' The Battle of the Century'. The two of them, in all their years together, had never fought, but this single incident had made up for that in spades. It had been loud, vicious and extremely public.

Steve followed the psychic to the parlor, where Jaime was already on her feet. "You set this up!" she hissed at Steve. "I should've known this woman wouldn't call me out of the clear blue sky after ten years. And I am _not_ staying!"

"Sweetie, he knew no more about this than you did. You need to sit down and hear me out. Please?"

Steve sat down in the chair next to the loveseat where Jaime had been. He snuck a look at his former lover and his heart began to melt when he saw the tears in her eyes. "If she doesn't want to be here," he said to the elderly psychic, "I am not gonna let you force her!"

"Sweetie," Sophia said gently, "of course you don't have to stay. If you can allow me just five minutes, though, I promise you won't regret it."

Jaime stole a look at Steve as she sank back into the cushions. Their eyes met, but she was too angry and too frightened by the unknown to hold the gaze.

"Thank you," the psychic said. "Now, I know from speaking with you on the phone that you both remember your previous visit with me, ten years ago today..."

6-27-1967

"Wow, you look good in that uniform!" Jaime said, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at Steve. For years, being with him had made her weak in the knees, light-headed - the works. Now that she was 18 and they could be a legal couple, she had confidence that his arm around her waist was all she'd ever need to hold her up.

Steve kissed her as they reached Madame Sophia's doorstep. Psychics of any sort were extremely rare, but they'd been told this woman was the real deal. Maybe, maybe not, but Steve thought it would be a fun way to start Jaime's 18th birthday celebration.

The door opened before they knocked. "Hello, Children. Welcome!" She led them into the parlor and handed them each a cup of tea. "Part of this journey involves taking tea together." She looked at Jaime, who was as close to Steve as possible on the loveseat. "Happy birthday, Sweetie!"

Jaime looked questioningly at Steve, who shrugged. "I didn't tell her."

"And I'd like to commend you, Steve," Sophia continued. "Your love, and the love of your family have gone a long way toward helping Jaime cope with the loss of her parents." Steve felt Jaime shiver slightly, and he tightened his arm around her waist.

"Are there questions you wish to ask, or would you like a general reading?"

Jaime's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Anything you think we should know..." she replied.

"Ok. Now, I may be jumping the gun in terms of where your relationship is right now, but I'm sure you both realize that you share something very real and very strong. People toss around the word _soulmate_ very lightly, but the real thing is so rare that, in all my years I've only known two couples who were genuine soulmates - put on this planet solely for each other. One couple, I knew over 30 years ago. The other couple...is you."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two - 6-27-1967

The psychic left the room briefly to allow her bombshell to sink in, then returned with a plate of cookies. "The tea is part of the ritual," she explained. "The cookies are because I like you." She waited for Jaime or Steve to ask what was on both their minds, but when they didn't, she forged ahead. "The fact that you're soulmates doesn't mean you should run off and get married, although you've spoken of that together many times." She smiled warmly at the way Jaime's cheeks blushed. "What it does mean is that, in one way or another, your lives will always be connected. You each have a very bright, very strong aura, but when you're together those auras merge into one single light that is very powerful and not to be ignored. You must never allow anyone or anything to diminish that light."

6-27-1977

"My children," the old woman said sadly, "I never dreamed you would be the ones to extinguish the light yourselves. I called you both here because I sensed something very precious was being snuffed out. But I had presumed outside forces...To do this to yourselves is - unthinkable." She looked at Jaime, then at Steve but neither spoke, so she went on. "I can see so much, looking at the two of you -"

"Like what?" Jaime asked.

"You have each suffered horrible, life-threatening injuries in separate accidents, but with the same results. You were both given a very rare type of transplant; not of living body parts, although these pieces have fully integrated themselves and become parts of your bodies."

Now she had their full attention. "No, Steve, I am not a foreign spy." She smiled at them both and then turned to Jaime, suddenly serious again. "I also see, Sweetie, that you have suffered many physical and emotional troubles - which Steve did not - as a result. At one point, you were actually dead."

An involuntary gasp and a small sobbing sound escaped Jaime's lips, accompanying the tears that covered her face. Steve was immediately on his feet to comfort her, but stopped himself and sat back down. "Can't you see she's had enough?" he said protectively.

"Your first instinct - to go to her - shows that your combined light, though very dim, still lives. Tell me, do either of you even remember what you fought about?" There was dead silence. "I could tell you, but that would serve no purpose. Just know that intense love, intense passion, can bring unbelievably strong jealousy and rage. The two of you, never having fought before, were very confused. You'd never felt anger of that magnitude, especially toward each other, and automatically assumed it was the end. So you lashed out harder - trying to have the last word, the parting shot..."

"Are you a psychic or a shrink?" Steve asked, unwilling to admit her words had hit home.

"Today, I am both. I'd like the two of you to do something for me; call it a personal favor for an old friend." Jaime and Steve stared at her numbly. Jaime's tears had been replaced by fascination.

"Steve, I'd like you to go and sit with Jaime on the loveseat. Please? Thank you." Both of them looked straight ahead, not wanting to be the first to acknowledge the other. "Now, both of you take a deep breath and try to relax. Good. Steve, take both of Jaime's hands in yours. Don't just touch her fingers - hold her hands. That's better. Now I want you to look at each other - _really_ look. Go beyond the eyes into the soul and see what you find. Go ahead..."

Reluctantly, tentatively, they did what she'd asked. Steve and Jaime physically jumped, as though hit with a thousand volts of electricity, then froze in place, unable to move and unwilling to look away.

"Jaime -" "Steve -" Both spoke at once. "I never stopped loving you." They were so mesmerized they didn't notice the psychic had left the room. They were, once more, alone on an island of two, and neither one intended to leave, ever again.

END


End file.
